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The differences between business associates and office specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a business associate has an average salary of $72,369, which is higher than the $33,477 average annual salary of an office specialist.
The top three skills for a business associate include customer service, patients and powerpoint. The most important skills for an office specialist are customer service, data entry, and patients.
| Business Associate | Office Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $72,369 | $33,477 |
| Hourly rate | $34.79 | $16.09 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 60,886 | 98,760 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
Business associates are individuals who perform certain roles and duties that involve safeguarding protected health information on behalf of a covered entity. They perform several duties that include handling and managing claims administration and processing, data processing and analysis, and ensuring quality assurance. In addition, business associates conduct market research and identify prospective clients, and develop and implement client retention plans and sales strategies. They are also responsible for identifying new business partners and opportunities.
An office specialist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the organization's daily operations. Office specialists must be highly organizational, as well as having excellent time-management skills to handle work units. They have duties including data entry procedures, greeting visitors, responding to customers' inquiries through phone calls and e-mails, and filing and sorting documents. Office specialists are responsible for creating meeting reports, scheduling appointments, evaluating financial statements, coordinating with other staff for event planning, and assisting the senior management with complex functions.
Business associates and office specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Associate | Office Specialist | |
| Average salary | $72,369 | $33,477 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $111,000 | Between $25,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Brookhaven National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a business associate and an office specialist in terms of educational background:
| Business Associate | Office Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between business associates' and office specialists' demographics:
| Business Associate | Office Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8% | Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 8.4% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 6% |